The Natural Chicken Keeping thread - OTs welcome!

[misbhaven]

all that info came from a website..I didn't want to misqoute what it did exactly but yes violet is headed into diaper rash cream here...

 

[joyfulkeeper]

msbhaven, thanks! I havent read susun weed for years! you brought back memories. loved her stuff on menopause, I still think of it now and then. she had a wonderful description of riding out the waves of heat (hot flashes) but I'm guessing that won't be a familiar reference to you if you are using the salve as diaper rash in your household I was walking up my driveway (too much rain to be driveable) and thought, who the heck is walking barefoot down my drive? I took a closer look and it was bear tracks. Couldn't get down the driveway fast enough to get to the chicken coops - but the bear didn't bother them or the bird feeders, she must have come out of the woods cutting across and not gone past the house. you can see the claw marks above the toes, and the hind foot print at the end of the first print. Guess I better get the chicken run's electric fence up and running - its a good bear deterent.

Yikes! Not what anyone wants to see in the driveway. Be safe!

 

[armorfirelady]

Llama glad to hear the bear stayed away from the coops!!!

My hens pop door automatically. They decide if they want to go out in snow, rain, etc. I have some muddy areas but I put DL in the entrance cover and it seems to keep the mud off the eggs. The other mud areas are just waiting for the grass to return. While my yard was under water this morning by tonight you couldn't see the water thanks to a well & sump pump I put in last summer.

Here it was this morning. The girls were back in this area this afternoon. They don't mind wet grass that has worms popping through. They also will walk thru the water to get to other side. Apparently it tastes good since they drink it to. Yuck!!!

So the past couple days Lucy has been trying to go broody except I keep taking her eggs. She doesn't seem to listen she has no man in her life so it's futile for her to keep eggs warm. Today when I took the eggs she just poofed up & growled. 2 hours later she was still in the nesting box. I picked her up & tossed her out. She complained a little while then ran outside to see if any food left. Poor thing picked her belly clean of feathers for no reason lol

I snapped a picture before I tossed her out. I never realized her gold feathers are gold all the way to the shaft until she poofed. Oh and apparently she lets the others in the box since this am she only had 2 eggs & tonight the count was 6.

 

[4Hgirl]

My daughter heard pipping in the incubator about 4pm today. Now nothing. There are only three eggs and hoping they all make it!

 

[4Hgirl]

My hubby processed our 300lb hog last night. I had him save the liver and kidneys for the chickens. It is in the fridge, had to work 7-7 today so tomorrow plan to do whatever I need to do with it. I imagine I can give raw pieces to the adult chickens while it is fresh but there is ALOT more than they can eat in one day. And can the one week old chicks eat any? Then what do I do with the rest??

 

[subhanalah]

My hubby processed our 300lb hog last night. I had him save the liver and kidneys for the chickens. It is in the fridge, had to work 7-7 today so tomorrow plan to do whatever I need to do with it. I imagine I can give raw pieces to the adult chickens while it is fresh but there is ALOT more than they can eat in one day. And can the one week old chicks eat any? Then what do I do with the rest??

I would cook it up somehow. Boil, bake, grill. ..then cut it up into treat size morsels. Keep some out and freeze the rest in snack baggies (or whatever you'll feed in 1-3 days.)

that's what I do with liver for the dogs. I boil it, then once it's boiled I cut it up and broil it.
Don't want to give too much liver, but in moderation it should be fine. The babies can have small pieces as long as you provide grit for them.

 

[Leahs Mom]

My hubby processed our 300lb hog last night. I had him save the liver and kidneys for the chickens. It is in the fridge, had to work 7-7 today so tomorrow plan to do whatever I need to do with it. I imagine I can give raw pieces to the adult chickens while it is fresh but there is ALOT more than they can eat in one day. And can the one week old chicks eat any? Then what do I do with the rest??

When I get liver like that I chop it into tiny pieces - bug sized that a chicken can eat. Then I lay them out on a cookie sheet or sheets or any flat pan that I line with parchment paper. Then freeze. After they freeze, I break them off the sheets and put them into zip lock bags or glass jars and keep them in the freezer.

Then I can take out just enough for a feeding, let it thaw, and give it to the chickens. That way I can have it year round if there is enough...or for as long as it lasts!

 

[Leahs Mom]

OH..and RAW. Always raw. A lot of the healthful benefits for chickens is lost in the cooking.

 

[subhanalah]

OH..and RAW.  Always raw.  A lot of the healthful benefits for chickens is lost in the cooking.

aren't you worried about parasites from the swine?

 

[Leahs Mom]

Not if the swine were raised on pasture/woodland, etc. and not confined with antibiotics in feed, etc.

I only feed any meat items if I know how the animals were raised. So...if you don't know how they were raised I wouldn't likely feed it raw or cooked.